Hogwarts Lion Girl

The silver-blue substance in the basin seemed to have life, swirling and flowing gently, creating fine ripples.

Harry couldn't help but stretch out his fingers and gently touched the water surface, and felt a piercing coldness at his fingertips.

At this moment, the scene in the basin suddenly changed. A whirlpool quickly formed on the water surface, completely attracting Harry's attention.

He couldn't help wanting to see more clearly, so he bent down and put his face close to the stone basin.

The next second, he felt as if he was sucked into a whirlpool. The scene around him was spinning wildly, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place.

This was a dark and damp room, with walls made of rough stone. Several flickering oil lamps emitted a faint light, casting long shadows on the ground. The air was filled with a musty and sweaty smell, which made people feel very depressed.

There was a long table in the middle of the room, behind which sat a dozen people. They were all wearing robes and had serious expressions. One of them had a long silver beard. It was Dumbledore.

Harry recognized this as the Ministry of Magic's Special Courtroom. He had only seen related reports in newspapers before, but he didn't expect to see it with his own eyes today.

He waved tentatively at Dumbledore, but found that the other party did not respond at all, as if he did not see him.

Harry then realized that he was not really here, but was watching a memory of Dumbledore. He could not interact with the people in the memory, nor could he change anything that happened.

The light in the courtroom was dim. There were flickering torches on the walls on both sides, illuminating the entire room with shadows.

Harry saw Karkaroff trudging into the courtroom, escorted by two Dementors.

His face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and his body was shaking with fear.

Mr. Crouch, dressed in a black robe, sat in the judge's seat with a serious expression.

He tapped the table with his bony fingers and said in a cold voice, "Igor Karkaroff, you are accused of joining the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War and committing multiple crimes. Do you have anything else to say?"

Karkaroff flinched and said in a trembling voice: "I...I admit that I have made mistakes, but I have changed for the better. I can provide information about Voldemort's other followers and help the Ministry of Magic bring them to justice."

Mr. Crouch snorted coldly and said, "Do you think you can atone for your sins this way? Have those who were hurt by you ever been given a chance to redeem themselves?"

"I..." Karkaroff was speechless. He lowered his head, not daring to look Mr. Crouch in the eye.

At this time, Moody, who was sitting next to Dumbledore, leaned over and whispered something in Dumbledore's ear.

Dumbledore frowned, seeming to be very shocked by Moody's words.

"Crouch wants to release him." Moody said in a low voice, "Karkaroff agreed to tell him something about the Dark Mark in exchange for his freedom."

The trial continued, with Karkaroff trembling as he named several names, including Dolohov and Rosier.

"We arrested Dolohov last month," Mr. Crouch said coldly, "and as for Rosier... he is dead."

Karkaroff said in surprise: "Rosier is dead?"

Harry heard Moody say in a strange tone, "Yes, he died bravely. He took a piece of my nose with him."

Karkaroff's thoughts were like a bird trapped in a fog, flying around in panic.

He knew that he had to provide more valuable information in exchange for his freedom.

After a brief silence, he uttered a few names in a trembling voice: "And... Travers... Mulciber... Rookwood..."

With each name he spoke, Karkaroff's face turned paler, as if these names themselves carried a curse that would drag him into a deeper abyss.

Hearing these names, the atmosphere in the courtroom became more solemn, and the wizards sitting at the long table whispered to each other.

Crouch banged the gavel and said, "The people you mentioned have all been released on bail."

Karkaroff's Adam's apple rolled up and down and he swallowed hard.

He knew he had no way out and could only go all out.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a difficult decision, and said, "And... Severus Snape..."

However, before he could finish, Crouch interrupted him: "Professor Snape has been released on the guarantee of Headmaster Dumbledore, Karkaroff, you'd better understand the situation."

Hearing these words, a trace of resentment and unwillingness flashed in Karkaroff's eyes.

He suddenly said, "There is one more person, one more person, it's... Barty Crouch Jr!"

He drooped his shoulders weakly, knowing that he had lost his last bargaining chip.

Everyone in the venue looked at Barty Crouch in surprise, and Crouch was so surprised that the quill in his hand fell to the ground.

The scene of the dungeon dissipated like smoke blown away by a gust of wind, and another picture took its place.

The cold firelight danced on the dungeon walls, casting distorted and terrifying shadows.

The courtroom was completely silent, and a suffocating atmosphere of oppression filled the air, in stark contrast to the noise during Karkaroff's previous trial.

Sitting in the middle of the long table was the same stern-faced Barty Crouch, but this time, there was a hint of barely perceptible pain and struggle in his eyes.

The person standing in front of him was none other than his son, Barty Crouch Jr.

Batty Jr. is thin and haggard, and his former arrogance and paranoia have been replaced by despair and fear.

He knelt on the ground helplessly, begging for mercy from his father in a trembling voice: "Father, I know I was wrong. Please, give me another chance! I promise..."

Mrs. Crouch stood aside, tears silently streaming down her face. She wanted to say something, to plead for her son, but in the end she said nothing.

"You are not my son!" Crouch's voice was as cold as ice. "My son is dead! You are just a monster who stole his identity!"

His tone was firm and unquestionable, as if he was reading out an irreversible verdict.

"No! Father, I am your son!" Little Barty cried desperately and tried to crawl to his father's feet, but was held down by two Aurors.

Crouch ignored his plea. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said in a cold tone, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision: "Little Barty Crouch, you have committed numerous crimes. I now declare that you will be imprisoned in Azkaban forever!"